Amica Mutual Insurance Co. Cuts Position in STERIS plc $STE

Amica Mutual Insurance Co. decreased its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 19.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,488 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 6,771 shares during the quarter. Amica Mutual Insurance Co.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $6,843,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 74,218 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $16,821,000 after buying an additional 3,137 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. grew its stake in STERIS by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 14,229 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,225,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in STERIS by 23.0% in the 1st quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,373 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,652,000 after acquiring an additional 1,379 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC acquired a new position in STERIS during the first quarter worth $267,000. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its holdings in STERIS by 42.1% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,518 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $797,000 after purchasing an additional 1,042 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other STERIS news, CAO Karen L. Burton sold 7,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.73, for a total transaction of $1,909,667.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,448,929.62. This trade represents a 56.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Mohsen Sohi sold 4,110 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.96, for a total value of $994,455.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 22,361 shares in the company, valued at $5,410,467.56. This represents a 15.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 18,868 shares of company stock valued at $4,585,389 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of STE stock opened at $263.88 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $200.98 and a twelve month high of $265.56. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $243.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $239.00. The stock has a market cap of $25.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.41 and a beta of 1.02.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.38 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.43 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 14.17%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.14 earnings per share. STERIS has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.150-10.30 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 18th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 18th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of STERIS from $277.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on STERIS from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $273.50.

About STERIS

STERIS plc provides infection prevention products and services worldwide. It operates through four segments: Healthcare, Applied Sterilization Technologies, Life Sciences, and Dental. The Healthcare segment offers cleaning chemistries and sterility assurance products; automated endoscope reprocessing system and tracking products; endoscopy accessories, washers, sterilizers, and other pieces of capital equipment for the operation of a sterile processing department; and equipment used directly in the operating room, including surgical tables, lights, and connectivity solutions, as well as equipment management services.